The Novachord is a gargantuan, entirely tube based, 72-note polyphonic synthesizer with oscillators, filters, VCAs, envelope generators and even frequency dividers. We sampled every one of the 72 notes on this beast - not just once, but over and over, with different settings each time.

is a little known fact, but the worlds first commercially available synthesizer was designed by the Hammond Organ Company in 1938 and put into full production from 1938 to 1942. The Novachord is a gargantuan, entirely tube based, 72-note polyphonic synthesizer with oscillators, filters, VCAs, envelope generators and even frequency dividers. The first instrument was delivered to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Jan. 30, 1940 as a birthday present. But despite this auspicious start, the 500-lb instrument struggled commercially.

Neither piano nor organ, it was misunderstood by many and was not the success it perhaps could have been. Stability issues contributed to this, due in part to World War II and its impact on component supply and manufacturing. However, its eerie, ethereal sound did find sympathetic ears, and became a mainstay of film and television soundtrack production. Gone with the Wind, The Maltese Falcon, Rebecca, House of Frankenstein, The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone are just a few classics that feature Novachord as part of their soundtrack.